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Getting ready for a Congressional investigation usually involves hiring lawyers, and things are no different at the White House. An article (here) in the Baltimore Sun discusses recent hires in the counsel's office at the White House since the mid-term elections, when Democrats took control and promptly vowed to increase oversight of the Bush administration. Among the recent hires are Christopher G. Oprison and Paul R. Eckert. Oprison is a former Marine JAG who was a senior associate in the white collar crime group at Skadden Arps' DC office, home of Robert Bennett, who defended, among others, former President Clinton in the Whitewater investigation. Eckert was a partner at powerhouse DC law firm WilmerHale in their securities group, which is headed by former SEC Enforcement Division director Bill McLucas. Needless to say, their experience in dealing with government investigations will serve them well as they face a deluge of subpoenas and other requests from Congressional committees. And, as Congress gets into the swing of things come January, look for private firms to show up at the side of administration witnesses called to testify on Capitol Hill. (ph -- thanks to my colleague Greg Fox for passing along the article)